Miss Independent
by Chaos Valkyrie
Summary: 50 Insights into the world of Mai Valentine, female duelist extraordinaire. 50 Sentences Challenge.


**Miss Independent  
****Author:** Chaos Valkyrie  
**First Conceptualized:** March 25, 2006  
**Posted One Shot:** May 12, 2006  
**Revisions Posted:** August 1, 2006

**Disclaimer:** I am a woman, therefore I'm not Takahashi-sama, and therefore all the money I've spent on my cards is not coming back to me. Darn it.

**Author's Note:** Written for the 1sentence LJ Challenge, set Alpha. 50 sentence drabbles about Mai Valentine! I was inspired by each theme, but note that I rarely ever use the theme word in the sentence. If you don't understand how I've used the theme for the sentence, just comment and I'll explain. If you know Yu-Gi-Oh, this ranges mostly over Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, because I haven't gotten to watch anything beyond Battle City yet because of work.

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**Speak.**

She sighs with longing, waiting for someone to see past the façade and listen to her words, not just watch her mouth and cleavage and fantasize.

**Touch.**

Her hands smooth themselves over the cards, and she wishes that life was filled with more of these simple pleasures.

**Memory.**

She screams in abstracted horror as she loses another monster to Marik and another person standing on the sidelines fades from her sight.

**Vanilla.**

Harpie Lady will always be vanilla in her mind – her favorite scent for her favorite card.

**Chocolate.**

On the other hand, Harpie's Pet Dragon was chocolate: dark and forbidden.

**Ways and Means.**

She'll be the best, she'll win her dreams for herself, no matter what it takes, and hopes she'll find happiness on the way.

**Belief.**

Admiring Yugi, she starts to wonder if one day too she can hold her faith in her hand like that.

**Linger.**

A face framed by shaggy blond hair lingers at the forefront of her mind, but she's not sure who he is or why he's important to her.

**Illuminance.**

When Joey told her what he was dueling for, she began to doubt the path she had chosen.

**Ornament.**

A pretty little statue to adorn his arm, another trophy for the case; that was all that _actor_ wanted.

**Coup de foudre.**

It's what she liked best about the Yugi-tachi: being with them was always an adventure.

**Archway.**

One of four finalists standing outside Pegasus' arena, her heart pounded on the threshold of greatness.

**Fate.**

_Their_ lives were all bound together, a story being repeated throughout history, while _she_ was merely a member of the supporting cast, watching from the fringe and wishing for her time in the spotlight.

**Pulse.**

Her heart beat frantically in her chest as she watched her virtual body begin to vaporize after the Five God Dragon's attack.

**Envelope.**

Her heart soared with elation when she saw "Industrial Illusions" as the sender of the invitation.

**Cold.**

Her skin prickles as she stands on the upper deck of the blimp, but she ignores it as one more weakness to hide from the world.

**Need.**

"No, I don't need friends, I don't need anyone," she fools herself.

**Drunk.**

She looks at Keith and is happy that at least she is not that far gone.

**Mask.**

Foundation, concealer, powder, mascara, eye shadow, lip liner, gloss, perfume; a few hours and careful tweaks later, and she's ready to go out.

**Rose.**

They all act like a dozen measly flowers will get them into her bed, but none of them ever realize that irises are really her favorite.

**Two.**

One is the loneliest number… but she's never had the chance to know whether two was worse or not.

**Fresh.**

Perhaps that's why she didn't care for Téa at first – she was innocent, soft, all the things Mai was before time and circumstance forged her into something wiser and harder.

**Bribe.**

A little flash of cleavage and a sly wink never hurt anyone…

**Error.**

Perhaps they weren't friends, perhaps she was wrong, and Joey had really only seen themselves as friendly rivals all this time.

**Appetite.**

So she told him what she dueled for, and even if it's for money and the thrills it brings, her answer only proves that she's honest with herself.

**Refrain.**

This friendship rant grows older every time she hears it… older, and yet somehow more endearing too.

**Family.**

She was envious of the others and the bond they shared, for she had walked alone for too long to remember what 'family' felt like.

**Grieve.**

Mai watched through pain-slitted eyes as Joey signaled his dragon to attack her fantastically aged Harpies, mourning the loss of both beauty and herself.

**Vapor.**

Closing her eyes, the mixture of scents separates and a smirk appears as she names her next card.

**Tea.**

Sitting in a café, she takes a long sip and eyes her next prey through the window as he duels outside.

**Medicine.**

She lashes out at him, blaming him for his ninja's butterfingers, stabbing him justifiably with his Just Desserts.

**Moth.**

The independent part of her continues to rebel against joining the group that flutters about Yugi's flame and ignores the fire burning within themselves.

**Perfect.**

Hold your head high and keep believing you'll be the best, that was her motto.

**Rope.**

She's not sure how she got tied to this rag-tag group of duelists and cheerleaders, but for some reason she looks forward to the next time Fate pushes her into them.

**Wind.**

It was no more than a virtual illusion, yet Mai closed her eyes and savoured the feel of the breeze created by her Harpies' wings.

**Crossroads.**

Their paths had separated again, long before she met Valon, for she could not drive the terror from her heart.

**Summer.**

Perhaps she enjoys their friendship banter for the simple reason that its tacky-yet-sweet warmth seems to have banished the eternal winter that was once her heart.

**Candy.**

Aromatactics may be a dirty tactic, but it made dueling newbies a piece of cake.

**Photograph.**

Expensive artwork hangs in her apartment, but the only thing she ever notices is a four by six inch snapshot of her would-be friends.

**Spoon.**

Her spoon clashed against the plastic eyeball floating in her soup, and suddenly she lost any desire to finish her dinner.

**Forest.**

She was terrified of blending in, that no one will see her for the mass of other duelists.

**Mirror.**

In a fit of rage, she broke every mirror she owned, then wept for her loss amongst the shards and resolved to be stronger.

**Smoke.**

Mai gasped, utterly afraid, as the creatures hidden within the darkness sent one final attack at her Harpies and destroyed her chances in the tournament.

**Shine.**

Ra bursts out of the gloom above her side of the field, and she's momentarily stunned by his light.

**Balloon.**

Just because she's blond doesn't mean she's stupid, bubble-headed, or an amateur.

**Vine.**

She reminds herself that all vines, no matter how convoluted or tangled their branches become, join together from one sturdy, simple base… much like their friendship.

**Butterfly.**

She watched it flutter sadly – it too was loved when it was pretty, but hated as a caterpillar.

**Gloves.**

She knows it's her poker tell, but her fingers twitchily readjust her gloves as she ponders her next move.

**Venom.**

Poison laces her voice when she tells him, "I don't need your support, Joseph."

**Remain.**

Joey, Yugi, Seto, Marik; they may hand her endless defeats, but she is determined to regroup, to continue, and to still become the best.

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**End Notes:** With this one, I posted another for Ritsu Sohma of Fruits Basket. I plan to go claim two more characters, as I'm using this to explore secondary characters who are kind of understudied and/or underappreciated. 


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